Family themes in fiction

No one can avoid family themes when writing a fiction novel. Even if the character is a lone hero fighting in the world. That says something about the absence of family, too, now doesn't it?

I've been thinking about the different ways that family matter drives fiction - characters and their motivations, plot, and backstory. I've been trying to take lessons from the master - Charles Dickens. The importance of family is everywhere in his novels.

I particularly like how Dickens can give you several different examples of family figures or family settings - such as in A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations - and force you to compare and contrast the examples. Dickens also has a gift for creating optimistic endings in which the different families and parallel plots of the story all seem to fall miraculously into place, creating new families that somehow fit together tidily - such as in Nicholas Nickelby.

My goal is to apply this tool of story line creation into my own novel. The trick is to subtly focus on family themes that are interesting and relevant today. Themes such as single-parent families, step families, and families in crisis due to war or economics.

HOWEVER - and this is important - the theme should not overwhelm the book to the point where it becomes a social statement and little more. Dickens, for example again, manages to weave several social themes into each novel at once, while making them entertaining and timeless. They are timeless enough that the world still makes movies of Dickens novels... and remakes them and remakes them.

Dickens is, of course, known for his social statements in his novels. But the point is that his novels are fiction based on reality. People are entertained by the fiction - the story - they are not interested in reading a novel-length sermon or diatribe on social failings.

So, sum up. Create relevant family themes, make them timeless, and resolve (or don't resolve) family conflict in a way that drives home the ultimate message you want readers to take away.

What else?

Oh yes. Keep your audience in mind. (But that applies to everything in writing.)

Also, be convincing. If you can't write from personal experience, borrow from others' people experience by asking them to let you swim around in their head (imagining Dumbledore's pensieve here). Apply a lot of imagination to the situation and allow the characters to react honestly.

There. Now I guess I'm ready to start putting it into practice.